Clueless
by supermom20
Summary: A celebratory movie night takes a strange twist.  B/G fic
1. Chapter 1

Co-written with a friend who doesn't have a FF account

Summary: A celebratory movie night takes a strange twist.

Setting: Rewrite of the end Season 5

Disclaimer: We don't, never have, never will. We own our obsession with the G-man. We let them have fun and return them relatively unscathed to the Jossverse. Although, they probably have more fun with us.

The town of Sunnydale was celebrating. The majority of its inhabitants did not know what the joyous occasion was; then again, they really didn't care.

The downtown shopping district opened its doors and people flocked in droves. An impromptu street party formed, adding to the enjoyment. All doors were open and the lights were on, except one.

The Magic Box stood silent and empty. Passersby looked through the windows and rattled the door to no avail. Those who tried to enter simply shrugged and moved on.

The usual occupants of the deserted store celebrated more quietly than the rest of the town. They were mentally and physically exhausted, but were reluctant to part company.

The heroes sat in the Summers' living room, rehashing their victory. Junk food covered every flat surface and a movie played in the background. When the credits rolled on the movie, a voice rose above the others.

"Anyone sleepy? No one's going to sleep are they? Right?" Xander looked around the room at everyone as he got up to pop out the tape.

Buffy stood and stretched. "Xander, for the fifteenth time, no one is sleeping."

"Well, I told you I think we're tempting fate by doing this."

"By renting movies and eating popcorn? I'm not sure that the gods of fate would be upset by that." Anya replied.

"Some of you weren't here last year," Xander replied. "You don't know what it was like. There was a guy and he kept talking about cheese. We almost died."

"You're not making any sense. I didn't see you get hit on the head the other night. Why don't you get me more popcorn?" Anya held out her empty bowl.

"I live but to serve, oh light of my life." Xander joked, as he took Anya's bowl and tried to make a florid bow at the same time.

"Let me get it, Xander," Buffy offered. "I'm going to pop another big batch for all of us. Who needs more to drink?"

"Ugh," Dawn wrinkled her nose. "I think I'm going to have to get some water. If I drink one more coke, I'm going to float away on a sugary river. And that's saying something for me. I'll help you carry stuff Buffy."

"Buffy doesn't need help; she's the super Slayer. After evil goddesses and hell dimensions, what's a few drinks for her to carry." Willow waved her hand, too content curled up with Tara in a chair to get up to help.

"Says the girl who didn't have to swing the troll hammer," Buffy replied dryly. "You try waving that thing around for a while and see how you feel in the morning."

"Hey," Willow protested. "I did stuff. Tara and I wore ourselves out putting up that barrier."

"Xander and I helped too," Anya interjected. "He was even too tired to have victory sex when we got home that night."

"Yes, well, as taxing as averting an apocalypse is for one's libido, I'm sure we aren't interested in the details Anya," Giles said pointedly. Trying to change the subject, he asked Xander, "What movie are we going to watch next?"

"Not to beat a dead horse, but again I say, maybe we shouldn't put in another movie. We could play a nice rousing game of charades to stay awake instead."

"Xander," Giles replied with some asperity, "I explained earlier that we are unlikely to have the same sort of experience that we had last year. All of the research indicated that our dream was the result of our performing the joining spell with Buffy. The First Slayer was quite put out by that. We didn't perform any such spell this year."

"No, we didn't," Buffy said as she came back in followed by Dawn, both balancing replenished bowls of popcorn and drinks. "But Giles, I think we should keep that spell in mind around finals time next year. Some of your smarts would come in handy during my ancient civilizations class."

"I see. I'll be sure to put myself at your disposal."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. "Just for that, no popcorn for you."

"Fine, but I won't let you sit back on the couch," he teased back, putting his legs up across the cushions.

Buffy's eyes narrowed as she contemplated her options. After handing out the remaining bowls of popcorn and assorted drinks, she moved over to the couch and plopped down on top of his legs. "I'll just have to sit on you then."

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" Giles asked as he tried to move his legs.

"Making you uncomfortable," Buffy grinned.

With that, Giles stopped struggling. "I'm not uncomfortable, quite the contrary. I'd be delighted if you sat on my legs the whole next movie. Maybe I could lose all feeling below the waist as you cut off my circulation."

With a whim born of pure mischief, Buffy couldn't help herself, "Trust me Giles, if I chose to sit on you for any length of time, a loss of feeling below your waist would be the furthest thing from your mind."

While Giles gaped at her, Xander started humming a jaunty tune and said, "At least you're not sitting on his..."

All heads in the room snapped toward Xander. At a sharp glance from Giles, Xander blanched. "Oh my god that was out loud wasn't it? Okay, let's put in that next movie. We have Clue, or we can watch Return of the Living Dead."

"Hey, no zombies that eat people's brains. We've had enough of the brain issues to last for quite a while." Willow frowned, shooting an anxious look at Tara.

"Yes, let's watch Clue," Tara said as she patted Willow's arm reassuringly. "I love Tim Curry."

"Isn't Tim Curry the guy in that Rocky Picture movie?" Dawn asked.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Giles answered. "Yes, he plays Frank-n-Furter. I'm surprised you've seen that film."

"A bunch of people from school went to the midnight movie and that was playing. I didn't understand all of the throwing things at the screen and yelling that went on."

"Tim Curry is very sexy in that movie." Anya stated. "I don't normally find men attractive when they're dressed as women, but he makes fishnet appealing."

"He does all right," Giles sniffed. "I think my portrayal was a bit more flamboyant."

"You were in the Rocky Horror Picture Show?" Buffy looked incredulous. "Did the Council know? Did you have a tweed corset?"

Giles glared in response. "I was at University you know. I was in a production there. And no, I didn't come out of the womb in tweed. I looked quite smashing in the corset and fishnets, or at least that's what the reviews said. I still have them packed up somewhere. Don't even think about it." The last was said in response to Anya as she looked between Giles and Xander speculatively.

"Really putting in the movie now, so all talking will stop," Xander babbled.

Pushing play, he went back and flopped on the floor next to Anya. Willow and Tara snuggled further into the chair. Dawn grabbed a pillow off the couch and stretched out in front of the TV. At Giles discrete cough, Buffy lifted herself off his legs until he removed them from the couch. She then sat down next to him, put the popcorn bowl in his lap, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It makes it easier to share the popcorn this way," she whispered in response to his quizzical expression.

After a few moments, Giles put his arm across the back of the couch, not quite hugging her shoulders. At her sideways glance, he muttered, "Since I shan't be getting any other action."

A raised eyebrow was Buffy's only reply as she turned her attention back to the television.

As the movie started to play, Xander tried one last time, "And remember-"

"No falling asleep," everyone chorused back to him.

The movie began and everyone laughed along at the antics on the screen. Each made comments about their favorite lines. Slowly, fewer and fewer comments were made. Eventually, the only sounds in the room were the dialogue on the screen, and the gentle breathing of seven sleeping people.

Something was tickling Giles' nose. He tried to move his head, but that didn't make the sensation go away. Slowly, he awoke and realized that Buffy's hair was the culprit. She had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. As he tried to move her to a more comfortable position, he realized that they were no longer in Buffy's living room. Instead, they were in a large study in front of a large fireplace.

He nudged Buffy.

"I, too, drank the cognac," she whimpered.

"Buffy," he whispered. "Wake up."

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at him. "I was having a really weird dream."

"Well, it appears that we all might be having another dream," he said.

"Huh?"

"Look around."

Buffy looked around the room. "Crap," she said loudly.

At that, everyone started to wake up. Xander sat up and stretched. "I must have fallen asleep. Luckily this time…," he trailed off as he took in their surroundings. "All right, let me be the first to say, I told you so."


	2. Chapter 2

The newly awakened group looked around the room. They wandered around until Dawn squealed.

"I know where we are!" she cried. "We're in the movie, Clue. This is the study."

Giles walked to a table and sighed. "She's correct. Here are the weapons."

Willow began bouncing on her toes. "Oooo! Can I be Miss Scarlet?"

Tara placed a gentle hand on her back.

Buffy walked to Giles' side and looked at the contents of the table: stakes, a baseball bat, spell ingredients, Olaf's troll hammer, a gun, a crossbow, and a battle-axe.

"Well, whoever brought us here knows what we do," Buffy said.

The others moved closer to Giles and Buffy and picked up the instruments.

Willow immediately slipped the spell ingredients into her pocket, while Xander hefted the hammer.

"Huh, this was heavier before," Xander remarked.

Anya grabbed the sword and made a few experimental moves with it. "It feels right, holding this."

As Dawn's hand moved to the crossbow, Buffy stopped her. Seeing that there were bolts in it, she told Dawn, "Not on your life."

Dawn glared at her sister, "Yeah sure. Keep the kid away from the cool toys."

Buffy returned the glare and raised an eyebrow. "Don't start."

Turning from her sister, Buffy reached for the table at the same time as Giles. Buffy slid the stake up her sleeve, while Giles swung the bat.

"Someone has a peculiar sense of humor," Giles said.

Buffy looked at Giles holding the bat, a shudder running through her.

Giles laid a calming hand to her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't think of it, love."

Buffy nodded and placed her hand on his.

Her memories of how close she came to losing him that night were still enough to make her shudder. She truly meant it when she had told him that night that she needed him and couldn't do it without him. Of course, at the time, she had meant her job, slaying. Over the past year, dealing with her mom's death, Riley leaving, and fighting Glory, Buffy had come to realize that it wasn't just slaying, it was every aspect of her life. She and Giles had grown closer and their relationship had evolved. The teasing banter was still there, but it had taken on a note of flirting that wasn't there before. Buffy felt like they were on the verge of something new. Standing there, swimming in the memories of the night outside the warehouse, Buffy realized that she was looking forward to the new direction they were headed in. 'Let's just hope he feels the same,' she thought.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Buffy realized the others were still debating on weapons.

Seeing that the gun and battle-axe were left, Tara gently raised the gun. "I don't like guns. Anyone want to trade?" she asked before putting the gun in her pocket.

"Ok, we have one weapon left. Who's it for?" Buffy wondered as the answer to her question stumbled in the room.

Spike looked at the inhabitants of the room and grunted. "Should have known it would be you lot. Why'd you bring me here?"

"We didn't, Spike," Giles replied. "We are wondering the same thing ourselves."

Spike glanced around the room and settled his gaze on Willow.

"Have you been makin' with the mojo?"

"No! It wasn't me. I was asleep. I promise!" she cried defiantly.

"We know, Will," Buffy said, sending a gentle smile to her friend. "We were all asleep, watching this movie. We woke up and here we are."

Xander, looking spooked, started peering behind curtains and furniture.

"Xander, what ever are you doing?" Giles asked.

"Looking for the cheese guy. He's here somewhere. He's gotta be."

Xander continued around the room until he stumbled behind the desk.

"Uh, Giles, you might want to come here."

Giles and Buffy walked to Xander. Buffy shivered when she looked down. Dropping the bat, Giles gasped. "Dear Lord, it can't be!"

"Well, it is. Who woke up first? Xander replied.

"I did," Giles told him, as the others moved closer to the desk.

"Keep Dawn back, Spike," Buffy ordered.

"Why? I want to see. Is it really nasty, all gore and pus and stuff?" Dawn enthused, as Spike laid a restraining arm across her shoulder.

"No, can't be. I can't smell the blood, or anything else for that matter," Spike said.

Buffy took a deep breath and agreed. "Me either."

Tara and Willow looked quickly away from the body and held each other tightly.

A broken, bloody figure lay at unnatural angles. It had been repeatedly attacked with various instruments. Pieces of flesh were missing and different objects protruded from the remains. Blood stained the surrounding carpet.

Giles bent to run a finger through the blood and pulled his hand back. Everyone gasped when his hand remained clean.

"This is not natural. No smells, no actual blood. This reeks of a bad joke." Giles said.

The curiosity finally got the better of Anya. She looked at the others and said. "Ok, this isn't real. The body is here, but not really hurt. But, what I want to know is, who is it?"

Giles glanced at her before returning to the body.

"It's… she was… Jenny Calendar."

Buffy drew away from Giles. "Uh, Giles, that's not Jenny. It's my old boyfriend, Ford."

Willow looked askance at them. "What body are you looking at? I see the vampire me."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Guys, it's Jesse! You see it, don't you?" he asked, looking at Anya.

"I see a body. No face, just a body," Anya told him.

"Same here," Tara said. Spike and Dawn nodded their agreement with Tara.

"We are all seeing someone different," Giles replied. "Why is that?"

"Duh! Last year, the spell, work with me British man!" Xander cried.

"Of course, that has to be it. They weren't there so most of the influence of the spell must be concentrated on us four," Giles told them, as his eyes moved from Buffy to Willow to Xander. "And don't call me that."

"Ok, good. But how do we get out of here?" Buffy asked.

"Solve the murder, would be my guess," Willow said.

"And how do we go about that? That body or whatever it is was ripped to pieces," Spike snorted.

"Look for clues, like in the game," Tara replied.

"Bravo, miss. I wondered when you would figure it out," a new voice told the group.

Everyone turned to the voice in the doorway. Xander jumped and hid behind Anya. "I knew it! I knew you would be here somewhere!"

In the doorway, a small man stood gazing at the people.

"Buffy," Dawn said sidling closer to her sister, "Who is that?"

"Listen, pal. You gave me nightmares for weeks last time you popped up," Buffy exclaimed. She turned to Dawn and said, "That's the Cheeseman."


	3. Chapter 3

In three strides, Buffy was across the study, her arm against the Cheeseman's throat, pinning him to the wall. "I don't know what sort of game you're playing, but I want answers and I want them now. Why have you brought us here? And how do we get back home?"

In response, the Cheeseman, dressed in an antiquated black suit, made strangled choking sounds.

"You're gonna have to let him breathe if you want him to answer," Spike said.

Buffy looked for a moment like she would rather keep pushing until her arm crushed the windpipe beneath it, but finally she relaxed enough that the Cheeseman could draw a rasping breath. "I'm still waiting for an answer."

"I," he tried to talk but began to cough. In the face of his hacking, Buffy backed away but stayed close, ready to pounce if he tried to get away. For the next few moments, everyone watched the Cheeseman cough and try to catch his breath, as he bent over and put his hands on his knees. Finally, he stood shakily and straightened his jacket with a disdainful look at Buffy.

"I have nothing to do with you being here. Someone or something brought me here, and when I awoke, I had the knowledge that a murder had occurred and that you and your friends would be here shortly. As to how you get home, the perceptive young lady over there got it quite right; you have to solve the murder."

Xander, feeling bolder from his position behind Anya, asked, "But how can we solve the murder if we can't even agree on who the murderee is?"

Giles shook his head, "Murderee, Xander, really." Turning to the Cheeseman, Giles narrowed his eyes, "You said you were brought here. How?"

The Cheeseman shook his head, "I do not know the specifics on how I arrived. One moment I was elsewhere, and the next I was here."

"Great," Dawn said. "We're stuck in a movie, Cheesehead the butler doesn't know anything, and we're supposed to figure out who the murderer is, when it could be anyone."

Drawing himself up, the Cheeseman glared at Dawn. "I did not say that I know nothing. There is one thing I do know; one of you is the murderer."

Cacophony reigned in the room as everyone spoke at once.

"Listen here buddy," Xander started.

"I'll have you know," Anya's tone was indignant.

"I haven't yet, but someone's going to get slayed in a moment," Buffy said, advancing.

"I would never murder someone," Willow said to Tara.

A shrill whistle pierced the air, causing everyone to stop talking. "Oy, you lot make my head hurt," Spike complained. "I think we need a little less talking and a lot more doing. This bloke, the Cheese guy, whatever you called him, doesn't seem to know a whole lot. And while it's all well and good for him to say we can't leave, I'll bloody well leave if I want to." With that, Spike strode across the room and pushed past the Cheeseman. After a moment of stunned silence, everyone followed him.

The study was off the main grand hallway, whose floors were brown parquet. Spike marched across the hall and threw open the large oaken door at the end of it. Outside, the rain poured down in torrents, the night sky periodically illuminated by flashes of lightening.

"Right then, you all have a nice time playing detective; I'm getting out of here." Spike turned up the collar of his duster, put his head down, and trudged out into the rain muttering, "Stupid gits, willing to just sit there and argue."

When Buffy made a move to follow him out the door, Giles put a restraining hand on her arm. "Let's just give it a few minutes and see what happens."

Buffy shrugged in acquiescence.

After about 30 seconds, Spike appeared at the far end of the hallway, still walking with his head down, talking to himself. "Take the whole sodding lot of 'em. Can't believe they ever manage to kill anything." Finally, he realized that it wasn't raining anymore, and he wasn't walking outside. As he looked up, the realization that he was back in the house dawned over his face, "Oh, bollocks."

"Yes, well, obviously trying to leave out the front isn't going to get us anywhere. Perhaps we should attempt to discern another means of exodus. Although it's fascinating really, the spell one would need to transport someone back into the house. Some sort of teleportation spell I would presume." Giles' eyes had gotten that far away look he got when talking about the dusty arcane topics that excited him.

"Giles," Buffy interrupted, "English, please."

"Hmm, oh right, we can't leave out the front, so we should try to find another way out." Giles said. "Although I think I made myself perfectly clear before."

"Not everyone here speaks Watcherese, Giles. Even I have to get out my Giles to English dictionary sometimes." Buffy's grin softened her teasing tone.

"Okay, we're not getting anywhere listening to you two flirt," Anya said. Ignoring Giles as he started to sputter, she turned to the Cheeseman. "So, Wadsworth, what is it exactly that we need to do to get out of here. I have no intention of spending the evening here when Xander and I had plans for later."

"Why did you call him Wadsworth?" Tara asked curiously.

"Well, that's the name of the butler in Clue, so I figured we could use that for his name as well, unless he prefers Limburger or Muenster."

The Cheeseman gathered himself, trying to appear more impressive than he actually was. "My name is not Wadsworth. I do have a name, you know."

"No, obviously we don't know. I don't remember you being polite enough to introduce yourself the last time we all met." Sarcasm dripped from Xander's voice.

"You may call me Huxley," the Cheeseman said with ponderous dignity, as if he were announcing himself Prince Charles.

"Huxley, that name sounds familiar," Dawn mused.

"You're probably thinking of Dr. Huxtable from the Cosby show," Willow offered. At Dawn's confused look she continued, "Or not, because you were probably, like, five when it was on."

"Wadsworth, Cheesehead, Huxley, whatever. We need answers. Who brought us here and how are we supposed to solve this murder?" Buffy asked impatiently.

Huxley answered, "Again, I do not know how you were brought here, or by whom. I know that one of you murdered that poor body in the study, using one of the weapons in your possession. The solution to the murder lies in the clues you will find in the mansion. That is all I can tell you at this time."

"Well, I suppose that means we'd better start exploring the mansion. I think for right now it would be best if we don't split up. Not until we're a little more familiar with what we're dealing with." At that, Buffy turned on her heel and started down the hall. After a brief moment, everyone started to follow.


	4. Chapter 4

When they reached the hallway, the group looked from floor to ceiling and door-to-door. Buffy came to a sheepish stop and looked at Giles. Seeing her chagrin, he decided to come to her rescue, for a change.

"Um, Huxley, you said?" Giles asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Would you be so good as to show us the layout of the house?"

"Very good, sir."

The butler led them from the study and walked across the hall. He opened two doors and ushered them in to a white paneled room.

"This is the lounge. There is very little to see here, but you may inspect the room, if you wish," Huxley told them.

The group wandered around the room, picking up various objects. Buffy moved closer to Giles and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You seem used to being around hired help. Did you grow up around them?"

"I did," Giles answered. "Father was heir to a minor dukedom in the West Country. We lived rather comfortably."

"We? Who's we?" Buffy asked.

"My brothers, mother, and I. When Father passed, the title went to my brother Christopher."

"Is he a watcher too?"

"No. As the eldest, he was predestined to manage the estates and all it entailed."

Buffy stared at Giles. "Estates? Plural?"

"Yes," Giles said with a slight smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see the look on Buffy's face. "Mother is a distant cousin of the Royal Family."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "Royal family? You…you're… Giles! I once called you a god, but maybe I should have said Lord. Hey!" Buffy exclaimed. "Is that why you say 'oh dear Lord' all the time?" she teased.

"Hmmm, perhaps," he mused with a twinkle in his eye. "That also could explain why the women used to call out 'Oh Lord' too," he said wiggling his eyebrows at her. Buffy returned his grin.

"Actually," Giles continued, "I do have a title, but in this day and age it's really just a formality. Christopher is now the Duke of Salisbury, but my younger brother Phillip and I are Lords, and that and a quid will get you a pint."

The butler led them from the room, their heads bent close to continue the conversation.

"Hey, you two, we're supposed to be looking for clues," Willow chided gently.

Buffy threw Giles a quick glance, and then linked her arm with his. "Lord Rupert and I were just discussing the merits of English titles," she said haughtily with a sniff and toss of her hair.

Willow simply shook her head, "Sometimes you two are too odd even for us."

As the others moved past, Buffy realized Giles had stopped. "What?" she asked.

"You've never called me Rupert before," he said softly.

Buffy looked into his eyes for a moment, "You're right, but things can always change." In one of her mercurial changes, Buffy lightened the mood. "Now come on your Lordship," she said as she tugged on his arm. "We need you to be clue guy right now."

The pair caught up with the others just as the butler showed them into the dining room.

Xander looked at the table set for eight and smiled.

"Hey, any chance we can get something to eat here?"

Anya slapped his arm. "Stop thinking with your stomach. I want to get out of here so we can go home and have orgasms."

Xander flushed slightly, looking at his friends. Noticing that no one was paying attention to them, Xander pulled his love closer and whispered, "I didn't say what I wanted to eat."

Anya grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

At the same time, Willow and Tara were huddled in a corner.

"Ha..have you tried any spells yet?" Tara murmured.

"I thought about it, but after what happened to Spike, I thought I'd better not. I mean, he left. It was raining and then, poof! There he was again and dry too. Maybe Giles will have some ideas," Willow answered.

As they walked to the kitchen, Dawn held Spike back and let the others pass.

"Spike, did you notice anything in the study?"

"Like what, Niblet?"

"I don't know. Something seemed off after Cheesehead showed up."

"You think that blighter has something to do with this mess?"

"Maybe, or maybe it was something he said. Just keep an eye out, okay?

"Will do, Bit. Let me know if you think of something else."

They entered the kitchen to see the people rooting through drawers and opening cabinets. As Giles reached for a door, he was thrown backwards. Buffy raced to his side and helped him stand.

Looking at Dawn, Spike reached for the same door. They opened easily for him. They gathered around the vampire and peered in the space.

To all appearances, it was a freezer. Meat hung from the walls and shelves were filled with foodstuffs.

Giles reached into the space again and felt nothing.

Buffy stormed over to Huxley and backed him against a counter.

"What the devil was that? Are you trying to hurt us? Because if you are, I'm gonna put a stompy foot on you."

The butler gulped and stared at the furious faces looking back at him. "I told you. I don't know anything about this house. I've never been here before. I am as clueless as you are."

"Right," Spike drawled. "New born babes have nothin' on you. Look, let's just finish the tour and figure out how to get out of here."

"As much as it pains me to agree with Spike, I concur," Giles said. "Let's get a move on."

They finished the search quickly, looking at the ballroom, the solarium, the billiard room (where Xander and Anya gazed at the table appreciatively), the library (from which Buffy had to drag Giles), and back to the study.

"Right, now, what do we know?" Xander asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Sod all," came the reply from Spike.

"Yes, well," Giles said dryly. "We know the layout of the house. But, did anyone find anything relating to the murder?"

"I got nothing," Buffy told him. Murmurs of agreement sounded through the room.

"Hey! I just though of something," Dawn cried.

"What is it, Dawnster?" Xander asked.

"What if we aren't the only ones here? Just because we didn't see anyone down here, doesn't mean that they can't be somewhere else in the house, right? And why should we take that guy's word about anything?"

Giles and Buffy looked at each other and grimaced. 'Why didn't we think of that?'

"Quite right, Dawn. Huxley?" Giles called.

There was no answer.

The group looked around the room. The butler was nowhere to be found.

"Did he come out of the kitchen when we did?" Anya wondered.

Buffy walked over to the table and picked up an envelope that had her name on it.

"Giles? Come here."

"Yes?" he said coming to stand by her.

"Was this here before?"

"No, it wasn't."

Buffy opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. In cutout letters, the paper said, "Have fun getting out, Slayer. I know I'm having a ball."

"First the butler disappears and then this? Giles, I'm getting worried."

"So am I, my dear. So am I."


	5. Chapter 5

"Well I'm not."

Everyone turned and looked at Anya with surprise.

"What?" she said. "I'm not worried. So far, this all seems very juvenile. We've been brought to a house that resembles the mansion in Clue, which you have to admit, isn't a very serious or scary film. Then, we see a body, which may, or may not be someone one of us knows, who may or may not have died in some horrible fashion. Then we have a butler who isn't the least bit intimidating and who seems to have disappeared. Lastly, we have a threatening note that a small child could have assembled from watching old B movies. It seems very amateurish," she sniffed. "I could have planned a much better vengeance if that's what this is."

"A..Anya could be right," Tara agreed. "It does seem like someone is following the plots of a bunch of different scary movies. I..I know we shouldn't underestimate our opponent, whomever that is, but may..maybe we shouldn't overestimate him either."

"Him?" Willow looked at Tara. "Are you sensing something about who this could be?"

"No, j..just for lack of a better term."

"Please let it be a he," Buffy muttered. "I'm tired of petite women who can knock me through walls."

"Aren't we all pet, aren't we all." Spike smirked in response.

Giles cleared his throat. "Well, we aren't getting anywhere standing around here. I suggest we conduct a more thorough search of the house. There may be someone here, and we need to try and find Huxley."

"We should probably split up," Willow suggested. "That way we can cover more ground. Tara and I will start in the kitchen. Maybe we'll find a secret passageway like in the movie."

Xander's comment that he wanted to search the kitchen was quickly cut off by Anya's elbow in his ribs. "Xander and I will start in the billiard room. I'm sure there are lots of clues in there," Anya said, nodding decisively.

"Yeah, I don't think so. I saw the look you two gave the pool table. Why don't you and Xander start in the ballroom? Then you can look in the billiard room. Giles and I will check the rooms down here towards the back of the house," Buffy offered. "I'd better go with him to make sure he doesn't spend the whole time in the library."

"Yes, because I'm sure I couldn't keep my mind focused on the important matters at hand with all those Danielle Steele novels I saw on the shelves," Giles said dryly as he polished his glasses.

"Guess that leaves me and Lil' Bit here," Spike said. "We can start upstairs and see if there's anything lurkin' about up there."

When Buffy started to protest, Dawn cut her off. "I'm old enough to help Buffy, and Spike can certainly keep me safe."

"All right," Buffy caved grudgingly. "But," she turned to glare at Spike.

"Yeah, yeah, heard it before, if anything happens to her you'll stake me yourself."

"If one of the rest of us doesn't first," Xander threw in.

Spike rolled his eyes and left the room, Dawn trailing after him.

As everyone else prepared to leave the study, Buffy cautioned, "Yell if you find anything or get into trouble, we'll come running."

"Okay, but make sure that it's a yell for help not some other sort of yell," Anya threw over her shoulder as she and Xander opened the door into the ballroom room.

Willow and Tara entered the kitchen. For several minutes, they looked through cupboards and pantries trying to find any clues.

"I bet there's a secret passageway in here," Willow said. "There was one in the movie. We just have to find it."

"Do you remember how they opened it in the movie?" Tara asked. "I think I fell asleep before that part."

"Well, I think it was after the part where they found the cook's body. I'm pretty sure it was Miss Scarlet and Colonel Mustard. Martin Mull is so funny. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was a meat hook in the freezer. We could yell down the hall for Xander, he has the whole movie memorized. "

"Why don't we start on our own and see how it goes." With some trepidation, Tara approached the freezer door, remembering the jolt Giles had received when he tried the handle. She gingerly reached out her hand and rested it on the handle. A sigh of relief crossed her lips when nothing happened.

Once the door was open, the two stared in. "Gross," Willow commented, looking at the meat that hung on the hooks. "That's enough to make you want to be a vegetarian. I prefer my meat to come in non-animal shaped packages from the store."

"I was a vegetarian for a while." Tara said, as she entered the freezer, shivering at the drop in temperature.

"Really?'

"We used to have chickens. Whenever the baby chicks were born, my older brother would torment me by telling me that we'd be eating them soon enough. I refused to eat any meat from the time I was five until I came to college out here."

Willow remembered her brief encounter with Tara's family darkly. Her older brother certainly hadn't been a winner in the nice department. She still got angry when she thought of Tara growing up thinking she was a demon.

"Why did you start eating meat once you got out here?"

"Dorm food. It's hard to avoid the meat. Although I'm not sure, I'm 100% willing to consider it meat. Plus I think being away from my family helped give me a little"

"Happiness?" Willow interrupted.

"Perspective was what I was going to say, but you could say happiness."

Each spent the next few minutes pulling on all the meat hooks in the freezer. When that proved unsuccessful, they started moving the foodstuffs on the shelves.

"I know it's got to be in here somewhere," Willow said, her teeth chattering from the cold.

"We've moved just about everything in here. Maybe this isn't exactly like the movie, and there's a lever somewhere else in the kitchen." Tara moved out of the freezer. "We're not accomplishing anything in there other than freezing."

Willow followed and wrapped her arms around Tara. "We should cuddle for body heat."

Tara rested her head on Willow's shoulder, relaxing into her lover's embrace. "This is nice, but it isn't helping us look for clues."

"Yeah," Willow grudgingly acknowledged. "We should probably keep looking. Because I have a feeling that Xander and Anya are not looking for clues. But hey, it's not fair that they're always the ones who get to stop and have smoochies. Why don't' we ever do that?"

"Because we're the mature ones who can focus on the problem at hand?"

"That's right; I'm much more mature than Xander," Willow said, sticking her tongue out in the general direction she assumed Xander to be. Tara wisely said nothing in response.

For the next twenty minutes, the girls devoted their time to searching every inch of the kitchen. They opened cabinets, tried to move lighting fixtures, and even went so far as to look under the sink. Nothing led them to a secret passageway, or any other clues.

Finally, Willow flopped down into a chair. "This is getting us nowhere."

Tara agreed. "Maybe we should try another room. Where did the secret passage in the movie come out?"

"No. I know there's something in this room. We have to find it."

"What makes you so sure that there's something here?" Tara asked.

"I don't know. It's like a buzzing in the back of my head. An itch I can feel, but I don't know what to do about it. I know a spell that I think will help us find it."

"I thought we decided we weren't going to do any spells until we talked to Giles first."

"I don't think we need to wait for Giles. It's a simple little spell that will reveal anything hidden in the room that will show us the secret passageway, and anything else that might be hiding."

"Sweetie, I don't know. I don't think it's such a good idea. You saw what happened to Spike. What if something happens to you when you try it?"

Willow looked scornful. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm certainly capable of doing a little spell. It's not anything like the spell I did against Glory and look how that worked."

"We've only looked in one room so far. I think we should save the magic until we don't have any other options. Let's just go look in another room."

"Why do you always tell me not to do magic?" Willow asked, standing up to pace around the room. "You like it too. You like it well enough when we do spells when we're, you know," she said waving her hand to indicate what she meant by 'you know.' "And, and you didn't have a problem when we made the barrier while we were fighting Glory."

"No, Willow, because it was needed then." Tara earnestly tried to explain her position. "There's a time and a place for magic use. The more you use it for everyday things, the harder it gets to live without it."

"I don't want to live without it." Willow's voice was harsh. "It's part of who I am. I thought you loved who I am." She moved closer to Tara, her voice pleading.

Tara extended her hand and took Willow's. "I do love you. But, I just think that sometimes you use magic when you don't need to. It doesn't make me love you any less. I just worry."

Willow angrily pulled her hand away from Tara and stormed to the other end of the kitchen, keeping her back to Tara. "I don't need you to worry. I know what I'm doing. I'm not a child; I don't need someone to scold me for doing magic. I like magic, and it's been very helpful. I think you of all people could recognize that. Or did you like being insane?"

With her last angry outburst, Willow knew she had gone too far. She was afraid to turn around. The seconds of silence ticked into minutes, and still Tara didn't say anything. Finally, gathering her courage Willow turned around, Tara's name on her lips. For a moment, all she could do was stand confused. Tara wasn't there.

"Tara?"


	6. Chapter 6

Dawn marched up the stairs, leaving Spike to trail behind her. She stopped on the landing and looked both ways down the long corridor, seeing six doors in one direction and seven doors in the other.

"So, which way do you think?" she asked.

"Makes no never mind to me, seeing as how I don't give a rat's arse about it."

"Ok, then left." She turned in the direction of the six doors and opened the first one she came to.

"You look in the doors on that side, that way it won't take us as long," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he quipped, saluting her. "Are you channeling big sister now? Givin' the orders, marchin' all over?"

"No, but since you said you didn't care, one of us has to."

Spike shrugged his shoulders and followed her lead.

Dawn entered her room cautiously.

The sight of an empty bedroom greeted each of them.

Dawn reached for the light switch and flicked the lever. Light flooded the room and she sighed in relief. She was as brave (or so she believed) as the others, but searching for who knows what in the dark? Not her idea of a good time.

The dust on the floor rose as her feet glided across the room. Only one door stood out against the plain white walls. She reached for the door, opening it quickly and jumping out of the way.

She peered around the door and giggled to herself. 'Nice show, Summers. Nothing here and you get spooked by a closet.'

Spike, in turn, strode into his room and gave it a cursory glance.

His vampire enhanced vision made artificial light unnecessary. He walked to the window and glanced out. He started to turn away when a flicker caught his attention. With the rain and lightning, he gave it little thought until the light shone again. This time, he made note of the location of the flicker to pass along. If nothing else, it would give the others something to check out while he raided the liquor cabinet.

They moved down the hallway with the same results for each. From Spike's side, he could see the light from each room. Dawn's search proved less satisfactory. All she found were the dust motes that her feet made and the occasional bug that crawled across the floor.

When they had finished the left side of the hallway, Dawn sat at the top of the stairs to rest. The dust from the rooms was making her eyes water and she desperately needed fresh air.

Spike leaned against the wall near her, pulling a cigarette out of his pack. He lit it and took a deep breath.

"Can I ask you a question?" Dawn asked.

"Why not?"

"Uh, you don't need to breathe, right?"

"Nope."

"Then why do you smoke? I mean you can't feel the smoke in your lungs, so what's the point? All it does is make your clothes stink."

"The point? Should there be a point?"

At Dawn's raised eyebrow, Spike said, "You been hangin' 'round the old man too much. You almost got that glare down."

Dawn glowed from his words, until she realized the real cause of them. "Hey! No changing the subject. I've always wondered and I want to know."

Spike sighed. "Fine then. But if you tell anyone, I'll have to tell what I saw you and Janice doing when you were supposed to be studying for that big math test."

Dawn paled. "How did you know about that?"

"Niblet, did you think Buffy was going to leave you unguarded with that skank hovering about? If you took a step out of the house in the last four months, I've been your shadow. Didn't you ever notice that nothing messed with you and the kiddies when you took a walk?"

Dawn smiled at her personal guardian angel. He'd kept her safe and she appreciated it.

"Spike, whatever you tell me stays between us. Unless it's really funny and I just have to tell someone."

"Right then. It goes back to before I became a vampire. I always had to be doing something with my hands. Writing or messing with an instrument or whatever. When Dru sired me, I thought I looked like a ponce doing those things, so I took up smoking."

Dawn giggled at the images he described. She couldn't see Spike writing anything, but she could see him with a guitar strapped on. "Which instrument did you play?"

"Hmm, what?"

"Which instrument? I bet it was a guitar or a piano."

"No, it was a …" he mumbled.

"A what?" Dawn asked again, standing up and moving closer.

"A flute, if you have to know. Me mum liked the sounds of it, so that's what I played."

Dawn held the giggles inside and gave him a soft smile. The thought that Spike would learn something to happy his mother happy, was touching. "I promise, Spike. No one will ever hear about it from me. Mom and I used to read to each other, so I know what it's like to have a special memory of her."

"Your mum was a fine lady. Made the best damn cocoa I ever had, too. Not much can be wrong with a lady like that."

Dawn reached up and gave the startled vamp a hug. "Tell you what. She taught me how to make hot chocolate. When we get back, I'll make some for you, ok?"

"She told you the secret? I hounded her for a year for that. Why'd she tell you?"

"Number one, it's a family secret, passed down through the women. Number two; you are not blood family or a woman. So that leaves you out."

Spike pulled away from the girl awkwardly and began walking down the other end of the floor. He had just started to open the door when he remembered.

"Hang on a tick; I did see something down that way."

Dawn quickly changed her course when he grabbed her arm. "It was a light from somewhere outside. Couldn't tell from where, but it flickered a bit."

She bounced happily. "We found something. This is great! I bet the others haven't found squat."

She turned toward Spike and they started again. They got the same results from the other rooms, except for the light. When Spike had shown it to her, she'd had to open the window and lean out. But, she was just able to see it.

The seventh door led to the attic and Spike didn't want to chance it with just the girl, in case there was something up there.

They headed back for the stairs to report their findings when a thump from above caught their attention. Spike looked up at the ceiling. He didn't hear any other noises, so he reclined against the wall again to have another smoke.

Dawn, however, had no such qualms about the search and went straight for the door.

"What's wrong, Spike? Is the big bad afraid to go up there?"

He didn't answer.

Dawn turned to him to ask the question again, only to see the empty hall and no lingering trace of the smell that she knew should be there.

"Spike? Did you find something else?" she called out, hoping that he would reappear from whichever he had room he had gone into.

She waited a few minutes until the thump sounded again over her head. She gazed at the ceiling and called his name again. "Spike?"

A third thump sent her scrambling for the stairs and the relative safety of her sister.

"Buffy!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Go search the ballroom, you can't look in the billiard room, no you might have some fun and we wouldn't want that now that your night is pretty well ruined." Anya mumbled under her breath as she and Xander walked down the hall towards the ballroom. "Buffy always gets to make the rules."

"Why is that exactly?" Her sudden outburst as she spun to face Xander caused him to jump. Xander had learned to tune Anya's mutterings out, as white noise, so he hadn't been paying attention.

"What? Why is what?"

"Why does Buffy get to make all the rules and boss everyone around? I didn't want to search the ballroom, but we are because she said we had to."

"Anya," Xander took on the patient explaining voice he used when dealing with her questions. "You can't lead a group by committee. Someone has to be the leader, and Buffy's the Slayer. It's her job to be the leader. She leads, we follow, evil is slaughtered, and then there are usually munchies. It all works out."

"You could be the leader occasionally."

"Me?" he barked with laughter. "I am the last person anyone wants leading a group of people. I'm more of the color commentator figure in the group. We all have our roles and so far they've worked out pretty well."

"You could be a leader if you wanted to. You can be very forceful when you want to be." She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I quite enjoy that sometimes."

"Role playing is one thing An, leading the gang into battle is another. But, uh, I enjoy that too. Let's hurry up and look in the ballroom so we can move right onto the billiard room." Anya's answering smile lit up her face.

"Well how about Giles?" She asked as they got to the ballroom door. "Why isn't he the leader?"  
"Because he's Buffy's Watcher. It's his job to be right behind her backing her up."

"And I suppose it gives him the best vantage point for admiring her rear too," she mused.

"I'm going to try and forget you said that," Xander answered as he pushed open the door.

The air in the room was cooler. Xander fumbled his hand against the wall looking for the light switch. Finally he found it and the room was bathed in a golden glow. "Now this, I could get used to." The ballroom was enormous; the lack of furniture only emphasized the cavernous space. Black and white marble floors gleamed by the light of the sconces that lined the walls. The ceiling was an impressive example of molded plaster design. Delicate cream fabric draped the wall panels; adding an air of warmth to the room.

Anya looked around appreciatively. "This reminds me of the Prince of Prussia's ballroom. I attended a masquerade ball of his in the early 1700's. One of the earls was cheating on his wife. She wished for him to be eviscerated. It was a simple wish, but very satisfying," she said fiercely, flourishing the sword she was carrying.

Xander jumped back. "Be careful with that, or someone is going to lose an eye." He glared in response to her snort. "It's true; at least my weapon doesn't have any sharp edges that could hurt someone." Slinging the troll hammer over his shoulder he strode further into the room. "I suppose we'd better check the perimeter even if the room looks empty."

Anya saluted smartly. "Yes sir. I love it when you talk like you're in the military."

"Old habit I suppose. I still say it's too bad we didn't turn into our costumes last year. It would be cool to have James Bond's knowledge in my head.

"Don't even suggest such a thing," Anya shuddered, flashing back to her bunny costume. "I can't think of anything worse than being turned into such an awful creature."

"But you'd be so cute and cuddly," Xander joked, and then danced out of the way as she tried to slap him. "Come on, I'm just kidding. You go that way and I'll go around this way. It will take less time."

Xander started a counter-clock wise circuit around the room. A layer of dust coated the floor; however, nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at him. Across the room, Anya had stopped and was closely examining the floor. "Xander, come over here. I think I've found something."

Xander crossed the room and knelt next to Anya. She pointed to a patch on the floor. "I think this looks like footprints."

Xander examined the area carefully. It did look like footprints. Upon even closer inspection, it looked like the footprints came out of the wall. It made no sense, but Xander guessed that someone had come out of the wall, stood in place for a few minutes, then turned around and went back into the wall. After a few moments of contemplation, Xander snapped his fingers. "There must be a secret passageway here, just like in the movie. Now we just have to figure out how to open it."

Anya stood and leaned her sword against the wall. "This is becoming a lot more work than I thought it would be. It's times like these that make me wish I were a vengeance demon again."

"Well, I have to admit I'm glad you're not," Xander said as he started to run his hands along the wall. "There's got to be a seam around here somewhere."

Anya tried jiggling the sconces on the wall. None of them budged an inch. She took a step back and surveyed the wall, trying to find anything out of place. She then turned and scanned the rest of the room, looking for discrepancies. Finally, she realized that there were two small tables flanking the panel Xander was now trying to pry open with the tip of her sword. On each table rested a small candelabra. She walked over and started pulling candles at random out of the candelabra. When that didn't achieve the desired effect, she tried to move the candelabra itself. The whole thing bent forward and Anya heard a clicking sound. The panel Xander was prodding swung into the room, knocking Xander off balance.

Xander looked at the panel, then at Anya who still had her hand on the candelabra. "That is too cliché," he said.

"What is?"

He gestured at the candelabra. "That. You know. 'Put ze candle beck'," he said, with a horrible Transylvanian accent. "How many more movies are they going to steal ideas from?"

"We can worry about that later. Let's see where this passageway goes, and whose been using it."

Xander passed the sword back to Anya and picked his hammer back up. His face was grim as he hesitated before entering the passageway. "Yes, let's hope there's someone on the other end."

The passageway was dark, the gloom lifted by a very faint glow. "It's just as well we can't see; there are probably cobwebs everywhere. Places like this are never kept up," Anya reflected.

After a few minutes of walking and several turns, they reached the end of the passageway. Xander located the lever to open the panel in front of them. The door swung open on silent hinges and revealed that they were in the billiard room. No one else was in the room.

"Damn, it was probably too much to expect that our captor would be here," Xander grumbled. "We should probably go tell Buffy and the others what we've found."

"I don't think we need to be in such a hurry," Anya protested. "Buffy said we should search this room, and there's a huge pool table over there just waiting to be searched."

"Anya, we need to tell them about the footprints. And I should go back and look at them a little closer; something is nagging at me about them."

"Well I'm going to be nagging at you soon if you go running off to find everyone else."

Xander looked indecisive for a minute. He weighed the need to share their discovery against his fiancée's pleading features. Finally, he admitted to himself that he would rather spend some "quality time" with Anya before the rest of the night disintegrated into fighting whoever had locked them here.

"If you insist, I think I could squeeze you in for about twenty minutes."

Anya smirked at him, "Twenty minutes? I didn't say I wanted to do it twice."

Fifteen minutes later Xander was buttoning his shirt. Anya had smoothed out her skirt and was still reclining on the pool table, shirt off, with a contented smile on her face when they heard Dawn's frantic cry for Buffy. Xander scooped up the hammer and ran out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

After the others left the room, Giles bent to retrieve the baseball bat. As he stood, he saw Buffy guiltily whip her head around to look in a different direction. Smiling knowingly, he walked behind her and touched her arm.

She jumped slightly and giggled at her response, leaning against him.

"Giles, what do you really think is going on here?"

"I must say that Anya's point of view has distinct merit, but I can't help but feel that there is an underlying menace to the situation. On the surface, the surroundings, the body, the note, all seem amateurish, but someone went to an awful lot of trouble to do all of this for a mere practical joke," he said, waving his hand around the room.

"It's a good thing I pulled out my Giles to English dictionary, huh? I actually got all that."

Giles snorted softly and rubbed her arm.

"I know. There's something just out of reach. If I didn't know that he was still in that detention facility, I would swear that it was Ethan," Buffy replied.

"You're right. This does seem exactly like what he would do. How do we know that he is, in fact, still detained?"

"I…I don't know. They would have let us know, wouldn't they?"

"This is a covert branch of the military, Buffy. They were not your biggest fans when they left, and I know of nothing that would have changed their ideas about you."

"I destroyed their secret project and probably saved a bunch of lives. Yeah, why should they like me?"

Giles pulled her to the sofa and sat facing her, clasping her hands.

"Buffy, you should be proud of the way you handled that situation. You show an amazing amount of courage each night and have saved the world more times than you should have had to. They should be in front of you, on bended knee, thanking you. Those berks should hold you as the highest example, and yet they simply packed up and moved on, not caring at the repercussions of their actions and the possible response the demons could have had. We were very lucky that none of the demons decided to take advantage in the aftermath."

"You think way too much of me," Buffy said, smiling at him. "Giles?"

"Yes?"

"What's a berk?"

Giles started at the indelicate turn of phrase he had used. 'After all, I still haven't answered her when she asked what a stevedore was.'

"Never you mind that. I shouldn't have said that," he said, blushing.

"But, what is it?"

"Buffy, I will not be telling you what it is. Maybe when you are older, I will."

Buffy's eyes widened. "That bad?"

"It rather is."

"Oh." Sensing the turn from the heavy conversation they had been having, Buffy decided to lighten the mood even more. "Could you show me one some day?"

Giles' color deepened. He moved off the couch and drew her with him. He didn't answer her, but she heard him mutter, "I haven't the equipment." Louder, he cleared his throat and suggested that they begin their search.

They walked slowly around the room, picking up objects and inspecting them. Giles lifted frames from the walls. The largest of the pictures wouldn't lift. Just as he started to call Buffy over to help him, it swung away from the wall.

A door-sized opening cut into the wall lay before him.

"Buffy," he called to get her attention from her position of looking under the couch.

She straightened and grinned at him. "Way to go, Watcherman. Wanna see where it goes?"

"Let's," he said entering the opening. Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Let me go first. In case there's something in there," she told him. Not being able to resist the temptation, she added, "Plus, my eyes are better."

Giles rolled his eyes at her quip. He stood back, bowing deeply and said, "After you, my lady."

As she passed him, she ran her fingers down his arm and replied, "Not yet, but if you play your cards right, I will be."

He smiled widely and followed her.

They walked a short distance before the floor began to slope downward. Giles kept one hand on the wall as they progressed through the darkened passage. He felt the wall give way to nothingness as they entered another chamber.

"Do you think that you will be able to use your superior eyesight to find a light switch?" Giles asked her.

Buffy giggled. "I already have."

He heard her move away and the sound of a switch being thrown. A cavernous area appeared before them. Boxes and crates were stacked along the walls. A roaring furnace sat in one corner of the room, heating the space comfortably.

"The cellar. I hadn't planned on coming down here yet, but we may as well inspect it," Giles said.

Buffy nodded and began to look through the crates. Giles moved to the other side of the room and searched the boxes.

Canned foods, blankets, and various other household supplies lined the boxes. Buffy looked at the items carefully, an idea forming in her head.

"Giles, do really think this is another dream, or could we really be here?"

Giles thought for a moment before replying.

"I suppose that a case could be made in either direction. If this is the work of a spell and we are actually here, an enormous amount of power would have to be behind it. It would be easier for the caster if it were a dream. Why do you ask?"

"Because this is an awful lot of food for a dream," she said, drawing him over to the boxes.

Giles peered into the boxes and sighed. "I fear you are right."

"Do you think you could…" Buffy started before changing her mind.

"Could what?"

"Nothing," Buffy sighed and continued. "I know that you don't like to do magic unless you have to. But…"

"Buffy, any ideas may be helpful. Now, tell me."

"Is there a way to kind of like reach out and see if there is magic floating in the air? Not an actual spell, but can you get a sense of it?"

"There may be. I'm rather surprised Willow didn't suggest it before."

"You and me, both. Can you do it without supplies?"

Giles pondered the question. "If I were already familiar with the magic of the caster, it would be simple."

"But, what about what happened with Spike? Could doing this make something else happen?"

Giles sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I believe that it will be perfectly safe. I am not performing an actual spell, so nothing untoward should happen. Do you trust me?"

"With my life, Giles. You know that."

Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her. Giles inclined his head and met her lips with his own.

Just as he started to press his lips to hers, a scream wrenched them apart.

"Buffy!"

"That's Dawn," Buffy said.

"Let's go."


	9. Chapter 9

Buffy, Giles, and Xander spilled out into the hallway at the same time Dawn finished her headlong sprint down the stairs. Buffy was the first to reach Dawn as she stood panting slightly from a combination of fear and exertion.

"Dawnie, what's wrong?"

"Spike," was all Dawn managed to get out before Buffy cut her off.

"Spike? Did he hurt you? I'm so going to stake him this time." Fear for her sister was making Buffy shout.

Dawn grabbed Buffy's arm to stop her from heading towards the stairs. "No, Buffy, he didn't hurt me. He disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Giles asked.

"We were upstairs, checking out the rooms. I heard a noise in the attic, and was heading towards the door. I turned around to see if Spike was coming and he wasn't there."

"Well maybe he decided to try and leave again. I wouldn't put it past him," Xander suggested.

"Hey," Dawn protested. "Spike would not just leave like that. We were getting ready to come downstairs and let you guys know what we found when we heard the noises. Something captured him and we have to find him."

"Dawn, calm down, we'll find him." Buffy reassured her. "Let's just think about this for a minute."

"You said you found something?" Giles asked.

Dawn turned to him. "Yes," she squealed, her distress momentarily forgotten. "We saw a light out on the grounds through one of the upstairs windows. We could only see it from one of the bedrooms, and I had to lean out pretty far to see it."

"Hmmm, obviously someone can be out on the grounds without teleporting back into the mansion," Giles mused. "It bears checking out."

Not to be outdone, Xander chimed in. "Anya and I found a clue too. We found footprints in the ballroom that led into a secret passage. It came out in the billiard room. We were going to come and tell you but decided we might as well search the billiard room while we were there."

"Where is Anya?" Buffy asked.

Xander flushed. "Oh, she's right behind me. We were, um, searching, and then when we were finished, um, searching, we heard Dawn yell, and I ran out here while she, you know," he trailed off in the face of their knowing stares.

Giles raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, why don't you go and, er, see if she's recuperated from searching, and is able to join us; best not to be separated until we figure out what's going on."

They watched as Xander walked over to the billiard room door. He opened it and poked his head in. "An, hon, are you dec…, ah, ready?" he called with a quick glance back over his shoulder at his audience. "An?" he called again, then walked into the room when he didn't receive an answer.

A moment later he stepped back out into the hall, all traces of his usual joking self gone. "She's not here."

Buffy stepped toward him, hand outstretched. "Maybe she heard something and went back into the passageway?"

Xander shook his head. "Why would she do that without telling us? Something's happened."

Buffy shot a quick look at Giles. The situation was starting to get out of hand. "We'll just have to look for her."

"Hey," Dawn broke in, "what about Spike?"

"I certainly think finding Anya is more important than finding him," Xander argued.

Further argument broke off when a door slammed open down the hall and Willow yelled for Buffy.

Realizing that Willow's tone meant more problems, Buffy briefly let her shoulders slump as she turned to her best friend. "Why does everyone always yell for me?" she mumbled under her breath.

Giles, overhearing her complaint, bent his head so only she could hear. "I believe that goes along with the territory for the Chosen one."

She quirked a mock glare at him. "If you break out that one girl in all the world speech right now, you're in trouble."

He merely smiled in reply.

Feeling somewhat lightened by the exchange, Buffy determinedly moved towards Willow who was rushing from the kitchen and was surprised when Willow flung herself into Buffy's arms.

"Will, what's wrong?" she asked the girl sobbing in her arms.

"We had a fight."

Giles stepped forward. "You and Tara fought someone, are you all right? What was it? Where's Tara?"

Willow raised her head from Buffy's shoulder, sniffling. "No, Tara and I had a fight, with each other."

"I'm sure everything will be okay. You can apologize and make up," Buffy offered.

"Yeah," Xander agreed, "If Anya has taught me anything it's that groveling is a major part of any relationship."

"But you don't understand. She's gone," Willow wailed.

"Did she get mad and leave?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, she's just not there."

"Willow," Buffy said, taking Willow's face in her hands to get her attention. "Try to calm down and tell us everything that happened."

Willow briefly outlined the events leading up to Tara's disappearance, leaving out the exact reason for the fight. When she finished, Dawn was the first to speak. "Great, now we've lost three people so far."

"Three?" Willow was confused until she looked around and counted heads. "Anya and Spike are missing too?"

"Yes," Giles answered. "We hadn't had time to formulate any theories when you appeared, but my guess is that someone is targeting us one by one. We must be extremely cautious going forward."

Willow started pacing. Buffy didn't think she was moving that fast, but her hair was starting to fly around her face. "If someone has hurt Tara," she trailed off ominously. Again, Buffy was uncertain but thought for just a moment Willow's eyes had gone completely black. Shaking her head, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her, she put a placating hand on Willow's shoulder.

"We'll find them. We'll find all of them," she said, looking at Xander. "We just need to make a plan instead of going running through the house so the rest of us can get picked off."

"Excellent idea, Buffy," Giles' said approvingly. "What is your suggestion?"

"Well, first, I think we should go and investigate the noises Dawn heard in the attic." At Willow's noise of protest, she held up her hand. "Then, we can check out the kitchen and the billiard room. But experience has taught me that things that go bump in the night generally aren't friendly. So it's a good place to start."

As a group, they started moving towards the stairs.


End file.
